N.S. man pleads guilty to one charge in historic 2023 Shelburne County wildfire
In this aerial image, an aircraft, center, flies near a wildfire burning near Barrington Lake in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (Source: Communications Nova Scotia/The Canadian Press via AP)
A man has pleaded guilty to one count in connection to the historic 2023 wildfire in Shelburne County, N.S., that destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to flee.
Counsel representing Dalton Clark Stewart entered a guilty plea to one count of failing to take reasonable effort to prevent a fire from spreading or leaving a fire unattended under the Forests Act at the Barrington provincial court on Tuesday.
The Natural Resources Department charged Stewart in connection to the Shelburne County wildfire last January following a months-long investigation.
The Barrington Lake wildfire broke out on May 26, 2023, and was not under control until June 13. It was finally extinguished on July 26, 2023.
At its peak, the fire reached 23,379 hectares, the largest in Nova Scotia history. It destroyed more than 60 houses and cottages along with 150 other structures. More than 6,000 people fled their homes due to the fire.
Orlando Fraser, a conservation officer with the Natural Resources Department, previously told CTV News Atlantic he did not expect further charges to come out of the Barrington Lake wildfire investigation.
Stewart is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 29, 2025, to set a date for a pre-sentencing hearing.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
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